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六级考试最终冲刺(2009-10-29 21:49)
 英语六级考试听力中除了multiple choice 之外,还有就是听写。听写是六级考生们最为头痛的一种题型,但事实上只要掌握了好的方法,听写应当算是相对比较好做的。同学们只是需要把听到的内容以笔头的形式表达出来,无须做完整记录,只要将大概意思写下即可。但由于大部分同学对此种题型不熟悉,要做好也并非易事。以下就为同学们介绍一些方法:
听写在很大程度上与考生的语音知识及辨音能力有关。因此学生在考试时听清语音非常重要。

  1)同音词辨别。

    英语中的同音词较多,这也是考试中容易迷惑同学的地方。请体会以下几组词:

  flour[flaue] 面粉——flower 鲜花

  meat[mi:t] 肉—— meet 遇见

  right[rait] 正确的——write 写

  2)近音词的辨别。
    
    近音词是指那些读音相近或相似的词。英语单词中许多的音素之间差异很小,难以辨别。试分辨以下几组词:

  abroad 国外;海外—— aboard 船上;车上

  cloud 云;云状物—— crowd 人物;大众

  sick 患病的;病人的—— thick 厚的;粗的;粗壮的

  3)英语中的连读现象也为学生准确掌握所听内容造成了很大的干扰。

     因此同学们在练习时应试着了解并掌握连读的特点及规律。

  4)虚词的弱读现象也是一个难点。

    英语中如冠词、一些连词及介词这样的虚词在朗读中一般读得较轻。同学们在听懂主要词语的同时,还应尽力捕捉这些弱读的虚词。请留意以下词组:

  not at home several times a day just as well

  英语在语音方面存在的种种现象都可能构成听写中的难点,考生必须了解并掌握其特点及规律。而且,在填好空之后,还要根据上下文全篇的意思,去审查自己写下的句子是否正确无误。听写填空的短文涉及的题材和内容都十分广泛。因此,所听写的词汇没有固定的范围。同学们不能只停留在看到单词能想起来什么意思的水平上,而还应该能够准确拼写单词。凡六级大纲所列词汇均应加强记忆,以便能正确拼写。此外还要熟悉构词法知识,对词根相同,只是增加了前缀或后缀而改变了词性或词义的词,也要能够书写。例如:大纲列有 geographical , geography 两个词,那么同学们应该知道 geographically 这个词的正确拼写与词义。

  在听写练习中,同学们应该首先明确所须听写的内容是句子还是句子的一部分。在书写时还应该注意字母的大小写。在以下几种情况下必须使用大写字母:

  (1) 每句话开头的第一个字母大写,包括引用的句子。如: George Bernard Shaw observed ,“ Home is the girl's prison and the woman's workhouse .”

  (2) 单词“ I ”处处大写。

  (3) 专有名词,如地名、人名、历史事件、历史时期、报刊名称、组织名称、种族、国名、语言等单词的第一个字母需大写。

  (4) 书报、文章标题除冠词、连词和五个字母以下的介词外,其余单词的首字母均需大写。例如: Pride and Prejudice , Gone with the Wind

  在下列情况下则要使用小写字母:

  (1) 在逗号后。如: My mother , however , saw the injustice involved .

  (2) 在冒号后。当列举一系列并列事物或紧跟一个分句时,应使用小写。因为有现成的句子,在听写填空中涉及的语法考点并不多。但是语法的问题大家仍需注意,因为有时候同学们会因听写错误从而造成句子的语法错误。例如:将 He ' s 写成 His ;将 the United States ' food supply 写成 the United States food supply .因此同学们在听写完全文后,最好能留一点时间检查一下是否存在语法错误。

  听写填空时若能迅速记下单词,成绩会有很大提高。在第一次听朗读时,虽然空格处停顿的时间不长,但是仍应尽量记下各空格处的一、二个单词,在把握文章大意的同时最好能写下重点的词语,因为这些词语同时都是采分点。这样第二遍听音的时候会轻松一些。记录时只要记下单词的一部分就行,既节省时间又能提醒自己这是什么单词。也有的同学先把实词写下来,然后再根据意思补上虚词。这也不失为一个好方法。总之,大家应以最有效的方法让自己多记下一些单词。当然, practice makes perfect 。任何一种技巧或方法都需要同学们平时多训练。对单词的拼写练习应给予充分的注意。上课时可以尝试尽量不看老师的板书而只是靠听来记下老师的例句。另外,在考试时最好能提前把填空的全文通读一遍,了解全文大概讲的是什么内容,划出中心词。根据中心词和所填的空大概在听力文章中的位置有目的的去听,这样在听音以前就有了一个底,然后再结合所听到的内容来进行考虑,这样一定能做好填空这一部分,取得好成绩。
本文转载自:[url=http://www.cet6.net]英语六级考试网[/url]



以下151组词汇是我根据四六级高频考点词汇整理出来的,在听力中特别容易产生听觉理解或听写方面错误的词汇,可以说是四六级考试高频词中,就听力单项考试而言,特别需要注意和掌握的重点词汇。对于其他英语学习者,这些词汇同样值得积累。

   给大家介绍一下我是如何总结出这些词汇的:

  我从学生时代至今,一直保留着做听力练习的习惯。尤其是接触了口译工作以后,我才真正深刻的感受到,因为我们身处国内,身边缺乏一个天天使用英语的生活环境,所以要维持英语的高水平一定要靠经常练习。尤其是与与口译最为密切相关的英语听说能力,要靠有针对性的训练,不断地巩固,才能保持状态。我经常练习的有:在BBC,FOX NEWS, BLOOMBERG等知名英语网站上观看视频新闻,或者收听音频新闻,尝试边听便复述内容,或者边听边在心中尝试着译成中文(一种类似同声传译的训练方法,不过形式比较随意);在书店购买VOA,CNN,BBC新闻合集,选择长度、题材合适的新闻听力材料进行逐句听写、逐段听写及复述;即兴选取一篇英语文章,用类似VOA标准新闻播报的语速即兴朗读,保证每一分钟内口误三次以下算基本过关,等等。总之,练习得多了,就能了解有哪些属于中国人听英语、使用英语时容易出错的词汇,再加上在新东方当老师的经验,总结出了以下容易混淆拼错的单词。以下单词容易错误的常见原因集中在四方面:

  第一,发音非常接近,甚至完全相同,容易导致在被动接受语音信息的时候(也就是听听力材料的时候)发生理解误差。如1)quite 相当quiet 安静地。

  第二,有些词汇,不仅互相之间发音相似或相同,拼写也很接近,容易在练习听写的时候把单词写错。如5) dairy 牛奶厂  diary 日记,以及89) statue 塑像 statute 法令 stature 身长 status 地位

  第三,对于一些发音特殊的词汇,考生总是记不住其正确发音,比如suite这个单词,很多考生容易把它的发音错误地理解为与suit这个单词相同,因而在听力中发生理解错误。

  第四,有些单词,发音,拼写都接近,而且在含义用法上也有一些联系或雷同之处,因此在听力理解时难度极大,如86) extend 延伸(时间或长度) extent 长度

  就算你是在不想背那厚厚一本词汇书,也请你一定要把这篇文章里我总结的这些词汇熟练掌握,这样以来,听力部分的词汇算是过关了,应付四六级考试不会有太大问题了。更重要的是,希望大家能够了解上述训练及总结方法,在自己的学习过程中,根据这样的思路不断积累更多英语学习素材。
本文转载自:[url=http://www.cet6.net]英语六级考试网[/url]

  1) quite 相当      quiet 安静地

  2) affect v 影响, 假装    effect n 结果, 影响

  3) adapt 适应    adopt 采用    adept 内行

  4) angel 天使    angle 角度

  5) dairy 牛奶厂  diary 日记

  6) contend 奋斗, 斗争 content 内容, 满足的 context 上下文 contest 竞争, 比赛

  7) principal 校长, 主要的 principle 原则

  8) implicit 含蓄的 explicit 明白的

  9) dessert 甜食 desert 沙漠 v 放弃 dissert 写论文

  10) pat 轻拍 tap 轻打 slap 掌击 rap 敲,打

  11) decent 正经的 descent n 向下, 血统 descend v 向下

  12) sweet 甜的 sweat 汗水

  13) later 后来 latter 后者 latest 最近的 lately adv 最近

  14) costume 服装 custom 习惯

  15) extensive 广泛的 intensive 深刻的

  16) aural 耳的 oral 口头的

  17) abroad 国外 aboard 上(船,飞机)

  18) altar 祭坛 alter 改变

  19) assent 同意 ascent 上升 accent 口音

  20) champion 冠军 champagne 香槟酒 campaign 战役

  21) baron  男爵 barren 不毛之地的 barn 古仓

  22) beam 梁, 光束 bean 豆 been  have 过去式

  23) precede 领先 proceed 进行,继续

  24) pray 祈祷 prey 猎物

  25) chicken 鸡 kitchen 厨房

  26) monkey 猴子 donkey 驴

  27) chore 家务活 chord 和弦 cord 细绳

  28) cite  引用 site 场所 sight 视觉

  29) clash (金属)幢击声 crash 碰幢,坠落 crush 压坏

  30) compliment 赞美 complement 附加物

  31) confirm 确认 conform 使顺从

  32) contact 接触 contract 合同 contrast 对照

  33) council 议会 counsel 忠告 consul 领事

  34) crow 乌鸦 crown 王冠 clown 小丑 cow 牛

  35) dose 一剂药 doze 打盹

  36) drawn draw 过去分词 drown 溺水

  37) emigrant 移民到国外 immigrant 从某国来的移民

  38) excess n 超过 exceed v超过 excel 擅长

  39) hotel 青年旅社 hostel 旅店

  40) latitude 纬度 altitude 高度 gratitude 感激

  41) immoral 不道德 的 immortal 不朽的

  42) lone 孤独的 alone 单独的 lonely 寂寞的

  43) mortal 不死的 metal 金属 mental 神经的 medal勋章 model 模特meddle 玩弄

    44) scare 惊吓 scarce  缺乏的

  45) drought 天旱 draught 通风, 拖拉 draughts (英)国际跳棋

  47) assure 保证 ensure 使确定 insure 保险

  48) except 除外 expect 期望 accept 接受 excerpt 选录 exempt 免除

  49) floor 地板 flour 面粉

  50) incident 事件 accident 意外
本文转载自:[url=http://www.cet6.net]英语六级考试网[/url]

  51) inspiration  灵感 aspiration 渴望

  52) march 三月, 前进 match 比赛

  53) patent 专利 potent 有力的 potential 潜在的

  54) police 警察 policy 政策 politics 政治

  55) protest   抗议 protect 保护

  56) require 需要 inquire 询问 enquire 询问 acquire 获得

  67) revenge 报仇 avenge 为...报仇

  68) story 故事 storey 楼层 store 商店

  69) strike 打 stick 坚持 strict 严格的

  70) expand 扩张 expend 花费 extend 延长

  71) commerce 商业 commence 开始

  72) through 通过 thorough 彻底的 (al)though 尽管 thought think 过去分词

  73) purpose 目的 suppose 假设 propose 建议

  74) expect 期望 respect 尊敬 aspect 方面 inspect 视察 suspect 怀疑

  75) glide 滑翔 slide 使滑行 slip 跌落

  76) steal 偷 steel 钢

  77) strive 努力 stride 大步走

  78) allusion 暗示 illusion 幻觉 delusion 错觉 elusion 逃避

  79) prospect 前景 perspective 透视法

  80) stationery 文具 stationary 固定的

  81) loose 松的 lose 丢失 loss n 损失 lost lose过去式

  82) amend 改正, 修正 emend 校正

  83) amoral unmoral immoral 同义 不道德的

  84) capitol 大厦 capital 首都

  85) casual 随便的 causal 表原因的

  86) extend 延伸 extent 长度 extant 现存的

  87) inability 没能力 disability 残疾

  88) personnel 人事 personal 个人的

  89) statue 塑像 statute 法令 stature 身长 status 地位

  90) widow 寡妇 window 窗户

  91) socks 短袜 stockings 长筒袜

  92) tax 税 taxi 出租

  93) definite 不定的 infinite 无限的

  94) grim 严酷的 grime 污点

  95) crayon 蜡笔 canyon 山谷

  96) recent 最近 resent 生气

  97) phrase 短语 phase 阶段

  98) mission 使命 emission 散发, 发射 mansion 大厦

  99) vision 视觉 version 译本

  100) gasp 上气不接下气 grasp 抓住
本文转载自:[url=http://www.cet6.net]英语六级考试网[/url]

101) delicate 微妙的 dedicate 献身

  101) idle 空闲的 idol 偶像

  102) induce 促使,劝诱 deduce 推测 reduce 减少 seduce 诱使

  103) lapse 流逝 elapse 消逝 eclipse 日食

  104) rude 粗鲁的 crude 天然的

  105) source 水源 sauce 酱油 saucer 茶托 resource 资源 recourse 求援

      106) sled (儿童)雪橇 sledge 雪橇

    107) stripe 条纹 strip 条 trip 旅行

  108) vocation 职业 vacation 假期 evocation 召集 revocation 撤回

  109) ardor 热情 adore 崇拜 adorn 装饰

  110) area 区域 era 时代

  111) resemble 象... assemble v 集合,装配 assembly n 集合, 装配

  112) assume 假定 resume 恢复

  113) attain 达到 obtain 获得 abstain 放弃

  114) award 授予 reward 奖赏

  115) baggage (American English) luggage 行李

  116) badge 徽章 bandage 绷带

  117) blade 刀刃 bald 秃的 bold 大胆

  118) bloom 开花 blossom 开花(结果实) bosom 胸口

  119)blush 脸红 flush 发红(脸)

  120) bride 新娘 bribe 贿赂

  121) growl 咆哮 howl 狼叫

  122) depress 使沮丧 suppress 镇压 oppress 压迫

  123) dime 一角 dim 暗淡的

  124) dizzy 眼花缭乱 dazzle 使眼花

  125) brown 褐色 brow 眼眉 blow 打击

  126) bullet 子弹 bulletin 公告

  127) carton 纸板盒 cartoon 动画

  128) chivalry 骑士精神 cavalry 骑兵队

  129) collar 领子 cellar 地窖 color 颜色

  130) vanish 消失 evanish 使消失

  131) intrude 入侵 extrude 逐出 detrude 推下

  132) contort 扭弯 distort 弄弯 retort 反驳

  133) eminent 杰出的 imminent 逼近的

  134) decline 下降 recline 放置 incline 倾斜

  135) exclaim 呼喊 proclaim 宣布 acclaim 欢呼 declaim 朗诵

  136) edict 法令 indict 控告

  137) perfuse 泼洒 profuse 浪费的

  138) reject 拒绝 eject 逐出 inject 注射 deject 使沮丧

  139) literacy 识字 literary 文学的 literature 文学 literal 文字的

  140) median 中央的,中线的 medium 媒体

  141) expel 驱逐 repel 反击 impel 推动 dispel 驱散

  142) rip 撕 ripe 熟的

  143) wench 绞车 wrench 扭伤

  144) confidant 知己 confident 有信心的

  145) dine 吃饭 diner 吃饭人 dinning n 吃饭 dinner 晚饭

  146) dreg 渣滓 drag 拖拉

  147) faint 失去知觉 feint 佯攻

  148) imprudence 轻率 impudence 无耻

  149) specie 硬币 species 种类

  150) hanger 钩子 hangar 棚厂 hunger 饥饿

  151) suite 一(宾馆套房) suit一套衣服
本文转载自:[url=http://www.cet6.net]英语六级考试网[/url]


 
Clustering by Committe(2009-06-03 16:53)

uation Methodology:

  Many of these methodologies lack either generality or goal-orientation.

  based on editing distance: It measures the percentage of saving obtained by using the clustering result to construct the answer key versus constructing it from scratch(i.e. a baseling clustering)

scratch : n.
乱写, 刮擦声, 抓痕, 擦伤

v./ n.抓,搔,刮;抓(痕),划(痕)
此处:from scratch 固定搭配: 从零开始; 从无到有
eg. Documents are typically opened rather than created from scratch.
它们一般是被打开,而不是从头开始创建
(另外还有许多用法,碰到再说)

 

i.e. 也就是

The second methodology, specific to word sense discovery, measures the precision and recall of discovered senses using WordNet as the gold standard of senses.


wildcard
n.
[计]通配符

el(2009-05-16 07:52)
Upon learning he would miss the rest of the postseason
Yao reminded everyone that basketball is about team, not one player. The words sound trite. But the Rockets' effort and willingness to place the sum about the parts is anything but cliched.
anything but -> not at all; by no means 除...这外;决不
nothing but -> only
all but -> almost, nearly
eg. life is anything but ordinary. 生活一点也不平凡
    Susan is anything but smart. 你绝对不可以说Susan聪明;
    Susan is nothing but smart. Susan很聪明
    The A and B hardly differ in anything but the name. 除了名字之外,A和B几乎一样
c#知识记要(2009-02-25 11:22)
List<string> items = new List<string>(line.Split(new string[] { '    ', ':' }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)); 
日记 [2009年01月10日](2009-01-10 12:39)
shelter [5FeltE]n. 掩蔽处, 身避处, 掩蔽, 保护, 庇护所, 掩体 v.掩蔽, 躲避
take shelter 采取躲避  take shelter from 躲避...
eg. How to Survive a Nuclear  War: Where to take shelter?
    Aatronauts Forced to take shelter from violent solar storm in space.

 shell [Fel] n.贝壳, 壳, 外形, 炮弹 vt. 去壳, 脱落, 炮轰(注是vt时)
             vi. 剥落, 脱壳 [计] 设定命令行解释器的位置
eg. Israeli forces shelled a house where they had ordered about 100 Palestinian civilians to take shelter, killing about 30 people and wounding many more, witnesses told the U.N.
注: forces :此处是n,表示“军队”
force [fC:s] n.力量, 武力, [复]军队, 影响力
vt. 强制, 强加, (用武力)夺取, 促使, 推动, 施加压力
eg. U.N. Secretary has formed a high-level task force(此处为'促使') to deal with the global food crisis.(?动词原型作定语?)

periodically [9pIErI`CdIkLlI]adv.周期性地, 定时性地
eg. Israel has periodically opened some of its borders with Gaza to allow aid into the territory during the military campaign.
注,此处aid作n

iss World 2007 Zhang Zilin of China crowns her successor Ksenya Sukhinova of Russia during the Miss World 2008 pageant at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg December 13, 2008.
crown [kraun]n.王冠, vt.加冕, 表彰,
successor n.继承者, 接任者
pageant [5pAdVEnt]n.盛会, 庆典

paper learning(2009-01-08 15:50)
title: Conceptual clustering and concept hierarchies in knowledge discovery
paradigm [5pArEdaim, -dim]n.范例
tuple : n.元组
encyclopedia [en7saiklEu5pi:diE] n. 百科全书
wikipedia : a free encyclopedia with million of articles contributed collaboratively using Wike software, in dozenss of languages.

重要句型
 Learning by being told can be done by interviewing or by task analysis. Either way an expert teaches the novice the processes of a task.
polish [5pCliF]
n.磨光,vt.擦亮, 磨光, 推敲
vi.发亮, 变光滑
adj.波兰的
n.波兰人
eg.Kidnapped polish engineer execulted in Pakistan

kidnap [5kidnAp] vt. 绑架
在Windows下,return 0 的实际执行过程是:
  • 先析构main函数内的局部对象。
  • 返回至调用main的函数。
  • 调用exit函数,由exit函数调用doexit函数,在doexit函数中完成对全局对象的析构。
  • 最后调用ExitProcess结束进程。
所以,ExitProcess不负责任何对象的析构,exit只负责析构全局对象,return 0可以析构局部对象并调用exit,因此能析构全部对象。
来自:http://www.52rd.com/Blog/Detail_RD.Blog_zjhfqq_7053.html

解决#pragma warning(disable:4768)的一个办法,四处加,加他十多个,总有一个有效
日记 [2008年12月28日](2008-12-28 12:36)
Palestinian [7pAlis5tiniEn]n.巴勒斯坦人[居民] adj.巴勒斯坦(人)的
Gaza [`^B:zE]加沙(西南亚地中海岸港市,巴勒斯坦的一部分,1967年被以色列占领)
escalate [5eskEleit]vi.逐步升高, 逐步增强 vt.使逐步上升
retaliate [ri5tAlieit]v.报复
truce [tru:s]n.休战, 休战协定, 休止
custody [5kQstEdi] n.保管
Islamic [Iz`lAmIk]adj.伊斯兰的, 伊斯兰教的
raid [reId] n.袭击, 搜捕 v.奇袭, 搜捕
  eg.Hamas security sources said that raid targeted the home of a senior leader in the group's military wing.
bloodshed [5blQdFed] n.流血
eg. Meanwhile, exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal promised bloodshed if Israeli troops invade.
a good sentence:
'Protection of civilians, the fabric of Gaza, the future of the peace process and regional stability -- all are trapped between the irresponsibility of Hamas rocket attacks and the excessiveness of Israel's response,'
notice one: 逗号此处非插入语,而是一种并列结构。
notice two: '--all' 的all指代前面一整句话。关键处是符号“--”,似乎换成',all that'也可以。

slay [slei]v.<书>杀, 杀死, 宰杀, 杀害, 宰杀, 杀死 (可及可不及)
过去式: slew, slain

aimless wandering 无目的的漫游
----wandering adj.漫游的, 徘徊的  n.漫游,
eg.How could I ever have guessed that my aimless wandering about the countryside would eventually lead me to such heavenly place?

I find it interesting that when I first looked upon the countryside from that hill at Walheim, I was filled with a great desire to explore all the wonderful little areas before me. I went to them and then returned, feeling unsatisfied. It seems as though at our own future. We make goals for ourselves. We dream of reaching them. Then, once we do, we still feel as empty and unhappy as before.
查look on 有“观看”之意

sow [sau] n. 大母猪 vt. vi.播种, 散布, 使密布
eg.Gaza horrors sow seeds for future violence.
trauma [5trC:mE]n.[医] 外伤, 损伤
needy [5ni:di]adj.贫困的, 非常贫穷的, 缺乏生活必需品的
extremist [iks5tri:mist]n.极端主义者, 过激分子 adj.极端主义(者)

(get) better with age :越老越好。

rehabilitate [7ri:(h)E5biliteit]v.使(身体)康复, 使复职, 使恢复名誉, 使复原
malign [mE5lain]v.诽谤 adj.恶毒的   open-malign a ,开源而有害的(自已猜)
eg. The news suggests the world's largest software maker may be giving up efforts to rehabilitate its often-maligned Vista operating system, which was released worldwide in January 2007.


c++知识学习(2008-12-22 18:44)

一,fatal error LNK1169: 找到一个或多个多重定义的符号

VS2005编译器报此错误,

当.h文件里有函数实现时;(最好的方法是,不要在头文件中有实现代码)
解决方法
1.在.h里的函数声明前加 inline
2.在项目->属性->链接器->命令行->附加选项中加   /force   VS2005编译器报此错误,
解决方法
1.在.h里的函数声明前加 inline
2.在项目->属性->链接器->命令行->附加选项中加   /force  

China in 1978 was stranded at a political crossroad. It was just emerging from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution and the death of Chairman Mao. Deng Xiaoping had emerged as the new leader, but Mao's dogma remained deep-rooted and seemingly immutable. In and outside the Communist Party, a debate raged: Where to, China?

On December 18, 1978, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping gave his answer. In a Communist Party meeting in Beijing that day, the political elite adopted Deng's pragmatic program and launched economic reforms. New China was born.

People paraded in the streets to celebrate. Families gathered around the dinner table, uncorked wine bottles and toasted each other.

Thirty years hence, China's radical makeover is apparent.

China now is nothing short of an economic miracle. Its economy has grown at an average of 9.8 percent since 1978, making it the fourth largest economy in the world. Incredibly, China has pulled off the equivalent of reform, renaissance and industrial revolution in 30 years. 

It's incredible because only three decades ago China was so poor and isolated.

I saw it up close when I worked on a farm in Hunan province, Chairman Mao's hometown, not long after I first arrived in China in 1971. For several months, I worked there with a production team planting rice, picking tea leaves, feeding pigs and digging ditches. Farmers worked hard and lived Spartan lives. Once, I attended a meeting to honor model workers; they were awarded bath towels and wash basins

Today, my Hunan workmates have retired or changed jobs. The farm has disbanded, hit by the squeeze in state subsidies and by local and global competition. It has sold off its land to the local government and to real estate developers.

Thirty years ago, there was little international trade. There were few tourists and few cars, but there were millions of bicycles on the streets. Now the streets are jammed with cars, and the air is polluted with fumes, grit and noise.

Beijing's neighborhoods used to be very quiet. Residents lived simple lives mostly in walled courtyards. A seven- or eight-story building was considered unusually high. Now they are dwarfed by skyscrapers which house fancy shopping malls and outlets like McDonald's, KFC and Starbucks.

Fashion used to be just as simple, and utilitarian Regulation attire was the so-called Mao jackets in blue, green and gray and baggy pants of the same colors. The unisex look was the norm. Now street fashion is varied and colorful, if not always chic.

Virtually everyone had a job 30 years ago, but they earned little money, and there was little to buy. Supplies of basic commodities were so tight that residents were doled out ration coupons, required to go with cash to buy cotton jackets and clothes, grain, and cooking oil. No coupons, no transaction.

Consumers in the late seventies coveted the so-called 'four big things' -- a radio, a bicycle, a sewing machine and a wristwatch. And they were available only in special shops, like the Friendship Store. Now the new 'big things' would include a Mercedes Benz, an apartment and a week-long vacation in Bali or Hawaii.

All this would have been inconceivable 30 years ago.

But Deng Xiaoping did conceive. Fondly remembered as the 'chief architect' of China's reform and open-door program, he envisioned a modern, prosperous China and pointed the way forward.

Deng's reforms set off a series of seismic changes, starting in the countryside with the disbanding of the people's communes. He admonished farmers to work hard and get rich. The farmers responded enthusiastically. Later, Deng shifted the reform to the cities by experimenting with capitalism in designated Special Economic Zones and then spreading it nationwide.

Deng's reform was hailed as a Second revolution. When I worked as a reporter for Time Magazine (1982-2000) the magazine honored him as Time's Man of the Year -- not just once but twice.

There was opposition along the way. There was backlash from the Left and from the Right, as China oscillated from free-wheeling capitalism to puritanical communism. That's why there were political campaigns in and outside the party, like the one against 'bourgeois liberalization' in the 1980s. And that was largely why the Tiananmen protests happened in 1989.

China has come a long way, but in my interviews with Deng's political successors, they made it clear that China will have to proceed cautiously and change step by step. 'Cross the river while feeling the pebbles under the water,' was the aphorism proposed by the former premier Zhao Ziyang. Why the caution? When I interviewed then President Jiang Zemin in 1999, he explained why. 'There is no encyclopedia that China could simply copy and follow,' he said.

China's reforms have brought about remarkable achievements, but they also triggered unintended consequences: rising unemployment, growing income gaps, environmental degradation, corruption, rising criminality and social unrest. China has done the easy part.

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Now comes the hard part. China is facing the ripple effects of the global economic downturn: Chinese exports are declining, factories are closing down, workers are laid off en masse. China's leaders are facing one of the worst economic crises in 30 years.

It will take 30 years and more for China to find the right development model so it could change steadily without losing its national identity, ruining its environment and disrupting social and political harmony. Only then can they fully realize Deng Xiaoping's goal of a modern and prosperous China.